Absent AEW Star Addresses Return Plans, Targets First World Title Win

AEW

An absent AEW star has addressed their return plans, having last been seen on screen in August of last year in Ring of Honor.

Dustin Rhodes was last seen on the July 31 episode of AEW Collision last year, losing the TNT Championship to Kyle Fletcher in a Chicago Street Fight.

During his absence, Rhodes has underdone double knee surgery and has been working towards an in-ring return, although a date is yet to be confirmed for that moment.

In a recent post on Instagram, Rhodes shared a message to fans about his multi-decade history in professional wrestling, hinting at his future, writing:

“Want yall to know, I never want you to forget my body of work. I have given so much passion, love, blood(lots), sweat and tons of tears, all for the love of #prowrestling.

“And again, thank you all for standing by me as well as the new fans, ty. Very soon, i will be back for my “One Last Ride,” which has gone for 7 yrs lol.”

Rhodes would follow this up with an indication of what his “one last ride” could entail, including World Championship ambitions, adding:

“I promise to continue my in ring work to be as hard as ever. Knowing that my legacy is in tact, I feel I still have plenty to prove.

“My number 1 goal when, I started this journey, was to be a World Champion. I don’t think it’s too late for me, because I am damn good at what I do and will continue to strive for that. Do you think its in me to be world champ? I DO!

“Love you all and stay tuned for the Dustin Rhodes you all love.”

Rhodes isn’t the only star to be seeking a World Championship run, with Jack Perry sharing the same ambition when he re-signed with AEW.

The Momentum Stopped

2025 was arguably one of Dustin Rhodes’ hottest years in AEW, with the star holding the AEW TNT Championship, the ROH World Tag Team Championship and the ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship for much of that period.

After losing the TNT Championship in July, both ROH titles would be vacated in August 2025, with Rhodes going on hiatus shortly thereafter.

Having claimed the TNT Championship in a four-way match at AEW All In: Texas on July 12, Rhodes would only defend the title twice, with a victory over Lee Moriarty before his loss to Fletcher later that month.

It would also be the first title that Rhodes had held since his Goldust days in WWE, teaming with Stardust (Cody Rhodes) to become Tag Team Champion between September and November 2014.

It’s a curiosity in the career of Rhodes that, over the subsequent years, he would continue to perform regularly, only to have no championships around his waist until last year, having signed with AEW in 2019.

Now 57 years old, Rhodes would return to an AEW landscape that has evolved over the last twelve months, with new champions and stars in the mix. A World Championship run could be a high point in the career of a star who never held the top title in WWE or WCW.

Perhaps this will be an opportunity for the brother to “finish the story” in AEW.

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• AEW
• Dustin Rhodes

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